Women of the Islamic State Issued a Manifesto to Clarify the 'Hallowed Existence' They Live -- And It Involves Being Married Off at Age 9

In a manifesto translated by the Quilliam Foundation, a counter-extremism think tank based in London, westerners are getting a glimpse of what it means to be a female living in the Islamic State.

At the age of 9, the manifesto says it is "legitimate" for girls to be married. Ideally females should be no older than 16 or 17 when married, so they are still "young an active."

“From ages 7 to 9, there will be three lessons: fiqh (understanding) and religion, Qur’anic Arabic and science," the translation continues. “From 10 to 12, there will be more religious studies, especially ... related to women and the rulings on marriage and divorce. This is in addition to the other two subjects: skills like textiles and knitting. Basic cooking will also be taught."

From the ages of 13 to 15, child-rearing and other "manual skills" will be added to their education. Females should only leave the house under specific circumstances, the manifesto adds, to avoid the devil's temptations.

In this undated file image posted on a militant website on Tuesday, Jan. 14, 2014, which has been verified and is consistent with other AP reporting, fighters from the Islamic State group march in Raqqa, Syria. (AP Photo/Militant Website, File)

The manifesto is believed to have been released by the Al Khanssaa Brigade, the all-female militia of the Islamic State, last month. Though not officially sanctioned by the Islamic State, the manifesto says it hopes to “clarify the realities of life and the hallowed existence of women" living there.

But the Quilliam Foundation, which translated the document, described it as a "heavily propagandized snapshot of life for female supporters of [the Islamic State], an ideologue’s idealized picture of living conditions for women in its territory."

The manifesto describes women as being made "from Adam and for Adam" with "no responsibility greater for her than that of being a wife to her husband." It also says men should "rise above harming women," though in reality there have been countless accounts of women and children being raped, abused and murdered by members of the Islamic State.

A United Nations watchdog on Wednesday said the Islamic State has also buried children of religious and ethnic minorities alive, crucified them, used them as human shields and recruited mentally challenged children as suicide bombers.

Charlie Wilson, who translated and analyzed the document for the Quillam Foundation, told BuzzFeed: “We can say with a high degree of certainty that it’s by the Al Khanssaa Brigade, but it’s always impossible to verify these things 100 percent."